United Chambers of Commerce San Fernando Valley & Region

Advocacy & Issues

Action Updates 2009

Our 2009 Action and Activities Included:

Highlighting United Chambers’ activities for this year so far, was our conference call with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger regarding the May Election Propositions, hosting Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa’s Budget Town Hall Meeting, having an intimate leadership meeting with Assembly Speaker Karen Bass, holding the first Southern California Constitutional Convention and receiving the “Political Partner of the Year” award from the California Chamber of Commerce for our work on behalf of businesses. We accepted this award in Sacramento and only four chambers from throughout the state were given this award.

United Chambers Leadership Meets with Los Angeles County Supervisor AntonovichMembers of United Chambers met with Supervisor Antonovich to discuss how the state budget cuts would affect the county. The Supervisor also shared his views on how our state could work better and members discussed the current water crisis facing California and our region.

Los Angeles Mayor Meets with United Chambers MembersUC Members joined with VICA Members for a meeting with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa to discuss LAUSD education issues. The Mayor reported that 9 out of 10 of his partnership schools improved this past year with a 30% increase in parent participation. But more needs to be done. Yetserday, LAUSD Board Members voted to open up bidding to run the 50 new schools to be built over the next three years to give a healthy competition to our school district. They also voted to include the 200 underperforming schools. Operations of these schools would be open to parent/teacher collaborations, partnerships, I Divisions and Charters. Along with these changes would come better accountability.

United Chambers Participates in Conference Call with Governor’s Secretary of Education
UC staff participated in a conference call with the Governor’s Secretary of Education – Dr. Glen Thomas and Undersecretary Kathryn Radtkey-Gaither regarding RACE TO THE TOP education funding. The Governor has called on lawmakers to call a special session to look at school accountability measures to satisfy the Obama Administration requirements to compete for 4.35 billion in federal discretionary funds for education reform.

As it stands now, California can not compete for this one time infusion of federal dollars without changing state law that currently prohibits California Teachers from being evaluated based on student test scores. Changes to a growth assessment model would set a standard evaluation & performance model and would allow for better accountability, and would allow California to compete for these funds. United Chambers supports these efforts.

– AB 1405 (De León; D-Los Angeles) OPPOSED Would grant the Air Resources Board broad authority to implement unlimited fees & taxes with little or no oversight.
– AB 527 (Fuentes; D-Los Angeles) OPPOSED Payroll Records/gives an unfair advantage to employees in unpaid wage disputes before the Labor Commissioner by creating a presumption that all records are false where the Labor Commissioner finds that one was falsified.

– SB 242 (Yee; D-San Francisco/San Mateo) OPPOSED Could result in new shakedown lawsuits against businesses by making it a strict liability violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act, subject to minimum damages of $4,000, if a business limits the use of a customer’s language, even if unintentionally.

– SB 789 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) OPPOSED Undermines the process that now guarantees, through secret-ballot elections, a fair vote and the expression of agricultural employees’ true sentiments on the selection of a collective bargaining representative. This act will hurt California’s businesses by driving up costs, making employers less competitive in a global market.

– S.560 (Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) OPPOSED HR. 1409 Representative George Miller (D-Martinez) ‘Card Check’ Selection of Unions-Eliminates the right of workers to hold secret ballot elections and increases costs for employers already struggling to make payroll in this economic downturn. Allows the federal government to gain more control over private companies through government arbitrators deciding the terms of labor-management agreements.

– Supporting AB 333 (Fuentes) Job creating, Land Use Bill

– Hosting, for over 40 UC members, “Hard Hat Tour” of the new Performing Arts Theatre at Cal State Northridge